The American Society of Hematology Honors Cage S. Johnson, MD, and José A. López, MD, with the ASH Award for Leadership in Promoting Diversity

Published on: August 14, 2018

(WASHINGTON, August 14, 2018) – The American Society of
Hematology (ASH) will honor Cage S. Johnson, MD, of
the University of Southern California, and José A. López, MD, of the University
of Washington, with the ASH Award for Leadership in Promoting Diversity for their
extraordinary commitment to diversity and inclusion in hematology. This year’s
recipients have been instrumental to the establishment of the diversity
programs of ASH.

“It is a great honor to receive this award from ASH, because
increasing the participation of all groups at all levels of society has always
been a goal of mine,” said Dr. López. “I am proud that I was able to help
establish ASH’s minority programs and help the Society increase the
participation of underrepresented minorities training in hematology-related
fields.”

“Diversity demonstrates that all people are valued members
of society,” Dr. Johnson added. “It is important in medicine because patients
need to know that their physicians and other caregivers reflect the same
principles and life experiences that they have. I am honored that our work to
increase diversity within hematology is being recognized in such a big way.”

The ASH Award for Leadership in Promoting Diversity was
established by the Society to recognize hematologists who have supported the
development of an inclusive hematology workforce, encouraged the career development
of underrepresented minority trainees, or made a commitment to inclusiveness
through contributions in support of ASH’s mission. ASH President Alexis
Thompson, MD, MPH, of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of
Chicago will present Drs. Johnson and López with their award on Sunday,
December 2, during the 60th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego.

Drs. Johnson
and López served as
founding co-chairs of the ASH Committee on Promoting Diversity, a group of ASH
members that advises the Society in its efforts to recruit and support the
careers of underrepresented minorities into hematology research and practice. Under
their tenure, ASH formalized its minority recruitment agenda. Drs. Johnson and López were instrumental in the launch of extremely
successful programs, including the Minority Medical Student Award Program,
which has funded the research projects of over 200 students in the past 14
years and has been recently expanded to residents; a research opportunity for a
junior hematology faculty member from an underrepresented minority background, offered
in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Amos Medical Faculty
Development Program (AMFDP); and expanded minority recruitment and diversity
programming at the ASH annual meeting. Drs. Johnson and López have served as career development
mentors for these programs since their inception.

Dr. Johnson
is a professor emeritus of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at the
University of Southern California. He has served in several leadership
positions at ASH, and in doing so, he recruited many individuals from
underrepresented minority groups to serve in ASH leadership roles. He is a
founding member and former president of the EE Just Society, an
organization for minority hematologists based in Los Angeles. Since the group’s
inception in 1985, Dr. Johnson has taken many young, underrepresented
minorities under his wing and supported them as they successfully pursued
careers in hematology.

Dr. López is a professor of medicine and biochemistry
at the University of Washington and served for 10 years as chief scientific
officer of Bloodworks NorthWest and director of the Bloodworks Research
Institute. He has advanced diversity at his own institution by training many
minority students in his laboratory before he became active in ASH’s
programming. For several years, he collaborated with medical schools in
Mexico to host students for summer research electives. Dr. López spearheaded ASH’s partnership with
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based on his own experience benefitting from
the AMFDP. The effort has funded 18 junior hematology faculty members since the
program started in 2006.

“ASH’s strong
commitment to diversity and unparalleled portfolio of opportunities for underrepresented
minorities would not have been possible without the passion and initiative of
this team,” said Dr. Thompson. “On behalf of the Society, I thank Drs. Johnson
and López for their leadership
in making hematology a more inclusive subspecialty.”

The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org)
is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to
furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders
affecting the blood. For more than 50 years, the Society has led the
development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care,
education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood (www.bloodjournal.org),
the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available
weekly in print and online. In 2016, ASH launched Blood Advances (www.bloodadvances.org),
an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.